Piano-pedal action.



No. 844,655. PATENTED FEB. I9, 1907.

n G.'B.IORKLUND.

PIANO PEDAL ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. 1904.

By ATTO/1)?.an

GUSTAVE BJORKLUND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-PEDAL ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application led September 2. 1904. Serial No. 223,073.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAVE BJORKLUND, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, New York city, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Pedal Actions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention .relates to the pedal apparatus for working the dampers in piano-actions, and consists of improvements in the constructions and arrangements'of the fulcrum-spring attachments of the pedals and pedal-levers and connections of the pedals and pedal-levers whereby said parts are more durable, more uniform inaction, less noisy, and may be more easily and substantially set up in action in working position, as hereinafter described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of part of a piano-case, showing the damper-working apparatus on a diminutive scale. Fig. 2 represents in vertical longitudinal section a pedal, part of a pedal-lever, rod connecting` pedal and pedal-lever, and parts of the case on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pedal of Figs. 1 and 2 inverted. Fig. 4i represents details of the pedal and the rod connecting the pedal and pedal-lever in cross-section ofthe pedal. Fig. 5 is a top view of an end piece of the pedal-lever and cross-section of the rod connecting the pedal and pedal-lever. Fig.

6 is a transverse section of the pedal-lever iny the plane of the connecting-rod. Fig. 7 is a detail in longitudinal section of the pedallever, its fulorum-spring, and the base-support. Fig. 8 is a plan of the devices of Fig. 7 inverted and with the base-support detached. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of a pedal, showing a mo di'iied connection of its fulcrumspring andthe arrangement of the rod connecting the pedal and pedal-lever when the damper apparatus is arranged to be operated by an upthrust of the pedal. Said figure also shows an additional adjusting device for the connecting-rod for varying the leverage of the pedal. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the pedal apparatus of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a detail of the pedal-lever, showing a modiiied adaptation as compared with Fig. 6 for avoiding crampingi of the connecting-rod in the hole for said ro A represents the base, a the front, and b one side of a piano-case.

c represents a pedal; d, the pedal-lever; e, a pedal and pedal-lever connecting-rod; f, the fulcrum-spring of the pedal; g, the fulcrum-spring of the pedal-lever, and 7L the damp er-working rod.

The pedal-fulcruin spring f is practically the same as in my prior application for a patent, Serial No. 204,708, allowed June 16, 1904; but in that case it is bolted on the end of the pedal through a hole near the end of the pedal with a bolt i and nut j, which necessitates the application of the nut to the bolt after the bolt has been inserted through the hole, which is very difficult to do because of the limited space between the under side of the end of the pedal and the attaching and supporting part 7c of the spring. My present improvement in this connection consists in providing a slot Z in the end of the pedal in lieu of the said hole, whereby the bolt may be first inserted through the hole in the end of the spring, and the nut may then be screwed on the bolt far enough to hold it. Then the spring may be placed in position on the pedal end by entering the bolt in the slot sidewise, and the bolt may be screwed home without any such hindrance as characterizes the other arrangement.

The pedal herein is, like the one in the aforesaid application, slotted at m to admit the screw-driver for inserting the fasteningscrews n conveniently. I now take advantage of this device for the application of a pedal and pedal-lever connecting-rod e, having a round head 0, flat under side p, and round stem-section g next thereto by slotting the pedal for a suitable distance from the end of slot m, which is sufliciently wide to permit inserting said head through it freely by a series of holes s at suitable intervals apart connected by narrow slots t, whereby said rod e, also having a flattened section u next to the round section g, may after passing head 0, through slot m, and a suitable distance beyond be shifted along the pedal from hole to hole s, as desired, for varying the leverage and the length of throw as well, also for ad- IOO clined arm 13 on which to bolt the lower extremity g of the spring, the said arm being slotted vertically at l-i for shifting the clampjusting the connection along the pedal to adapt the pedal lor instruments usually requiring longer or shorter pedals. The llat 1 under side ol" .head o ail'o'i'ds substantial bear- 1 ing on the pedal, which o'l course has coriel spending surfaces, and in addition l 'provide a `like [iat-headed elastic sleeve e on the rod c to cushion the bearings of the rod with the the hole, as would be the case it the hole 'were limited throughout its length. to the size iiec- ,i

essaiy at the upper edge o'l the lever for properly conlining the rod but said lever may be ,f

suitably reduced in vertical thickness lior like ellect, il' desired, as at w, liig. 1l.

Where the rod e is connected to pedal-lever d, I provide a slot :1; Ylor swinging the rod thereinto, as indicated in l? ig. 2, and box the upper surface of the lever at g/ -lor reception of the adjusting-nut .e to prevent it from working slack. The slot enables the connection and disconnection oi' the rod without removing the nut. To adjust the nut, the pedal-lever is temporarily pressed down and the iiut 'freed 'from the boxing y, so as to be turned and then be replaced by the rise ol the lever on the rod.

In cases where the damper apparatus is of such nature that upthrust oi" the pedal is required I locate the lulcrum-spring intermediately ol the ends of the pedal, as in liigs. 9 and l0, and 'for such application ot my iinproved spring f in the same inode oi connection as where it is connected to the end of the pedal l make a 'wide slot 2 in the pedal toi' reception ol the upper end o'lt the spring and produce the same transverse nich 4 for the turned-down end lip 5 ott the spring and slot [for the bolt, as on the end oi: the pedal, and

thus aineiiabled to use the saine si ring for l of .lil'l'eieiit lengths l have provided a sliding piece 6, having` a series oiiholes 7 to receive the point oi connecting-rod e and vlitted in a l slideway 8 of the pedal with a clamp-screw 9 and nut l0 'for vfixing it in position. This is alilie applicable also with the pedal c and connecting-rod e.

I have now made an improvement in the Jr'ulcrum-spring g for the pedal-lever, which ing-bolt l5 up and down with two or more transverse nicks 1G to receive the lip 17 of the end of the spring lor substantial connection, thus enabling the height of the vFulcrum-spring to be varied according to requirements, but

more particularly to provide a point of disconnection ol' the spring, which is iiequently required, that will not deteriorate, as where the foot-piece and the rest of the spring are made in one piece and the foot-piece has to be detached vfrequently from the wood base.

That l claim as my invention isi. rl`he combination with the pedal having a notch for reception of the fulcruin-spriiig connecting-bolt and a slot for admission of a screw-driver, oi the connecting-bolt and the `fulcruiii-spring, said spring having the bowshaped end and the elongated supporting part, the upper end of the bow-spring being secured in place upon the top of the pedal and the suppoitiiig part being accessible through the slot in the pedal, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination oi the pedal having the series of holes for the pedal-lever connectingrod, and slot of lesser breadth than the holes, ot the {lat-headed connecting-rod, having the section next above the head 'litted to said holes, and also having` a ilatteiied section above said Afirst-mentioned section 'Iitted to the slot.

3. The combination oi" the pedal having the series of holes for the pedal-lever connecting-rod, and slot of lesser breadth than ioo the holes, of the flat-headed connecting-rod, having the section next above the head 'litted to said holes, and also having a flattened section above said 'Inst-mentioned section iitted to the slot, and the headed sleeve of the spring attached to said arm and the lever respectively.

7. The combination with the pedal, pedalconsists of a separately-constructed footlever, and pedal-lever iulcruin-spring, of the piece 1l for permanently connecting with the separately-constructed attaching-piece probase A by screws l2 with an upwardly-invided with an upwardly-inclined arin having the transverse nicks and the lengthwise slot, l said connecting-rodI substantially as and for the spring having the lipradapted to the l the purposes set forth. 1o transverse nieks,- and attached to said arm g Signed at New York this 3d day of August, and lever respectively. 1904.

8. The combination with the pedal-lever GUSTAVE BJORKLUND. and pedal and lever-connecting rod, of a per- Witnesses:

orated piece adjustably mounted upon the i ERNST LUNIDGREN7 pedal and adapted to receive the lower end of C. SEDGWICK. 

